JOURNAL

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 2, Issue 51, 5 December 1850, Page 3

JOURNAL

Of Expedition Overland from Auckland to Taranaki, by way of Rotorua, Taupo, and the West Coast, undertaken, in the Summer of 1849—50, by His Excellency the Gover-nor-in-Chief of New Zealand. (Continued from our last.J Friday, December 21st. —A cold disagreeable showery morning, and even between the showers the incessant dripping from the trees overhead kept us constantly wet through. After five hours' hard walking, the wood being very thick in places and the road bad, we emerged at a diskince ot about nvo nuics from the lake of Rotorua, of which we obtained a beautiful bird's-eye view, as we were still at a considerable elevation above the

water. This lake is of no great extent, and, viewed from this point, appears to want wood and high land to render the landscape very effective, hut it is nevertheless an extremely pretty sheet of water, and the Island of Mokora in the midst of it adds much to the beauty of its appearance. There are a few native huts, inhabited by about a dozen people, wi'.n some potato plantations, at the spot where i'.e road issues from the wood. It was abot". out o'clock when we reached this point, and we were so delighted at leaving the long dreary forest behind, that when the bright sun shone forth upon us (for the weather had denied up, and it was a beautiful afternoon) upon emerging from the wood, we almost involuntarily gave three cheers, to the great astonishment of an old woman who was weeding the potatoground hard by, and to the extreme consternation of the said old lady's small dog, who ran yelping behind his mistress, and having gained this asylum commenced most valiantly barking and snarling at the intruders. We found the natives very hospitable, giving us as many potatoes as we required for ourselves and men, though as the potatoes were scarcely yet sulliciently ripe to dig, even as new potatoes, it was a considerable sacrifice to the poor people. After partaking of a hearty breakfast we started at about three o'clock for the lake and walked over a line slope of undulating fernhills, composed of excellent soil, till we reached the month of a creek called Te Awa llou, on crossing which we came to a small pa of Human Catholic natives, also called Awa Hon.* On the margin of the lake, about a mile distant from Te Awa llou, is the settlement of Puhirua, the chief of which, Ilikairo, who is one of the principal men in the district, was absent with his son Kdivard at Maketu, a harbour in the Day of Plenty, on the East Coast, where they had expected to meet the Governor. We were rather disappointed at missing our old friend Ilikairo, but Robert, the native teacher, did the honors. We pitched our tents on the margin of the lake below the pa, on the very spot where Captain Symonds and Dr. Dieflenbach had encamped When on a visit to Uotorua, nine years previously. The natives brought us a large basket of inanga, a small fish much resembling while bait, which is taken with the seine in great quantities in all these lakes at certain seasons,ai)il oil' which we supped most luxuriously, having fried them in butter. Saturday, December 22nd—After enjoying a delightful swim in the lake, and having par-' j taken of a hearty breakfast of fried inanga, we. I set out to see a fountain of cold water which forms the source of the Awa-hou. The creek is about twenty or thirty yards wide, and of considerable depth, the bottom being plainly visible through the water, which is clear as chrystnl. After paddling up the stream for about half a mile, we reached the head of the creek, which is a sort of basin, in the centre of which is the fountain called Pekchaua, which seemed of unfathomable depth, throwing up inconceivable uuavtilies of clear cold water. This fountain was, according to native tradition, inhabited in former days by a most ferocious and blood-thirsty taniwha, or semidcilied monster, called Pekchaua, who, with two other taniwhas, was destroyed by certain of the brave ancestors of the Uotorua people. The following story is translated from an original manuscript, given to me by a chief of the tribe inhabiting this side of the lake, called Te Rangi Kaheke, or William Marsh, a person of some tepute in such matters. It purports to be the legend, as handed down for many generations, of the slaying of these three monsters, who were called Hotupuku, Pckehaua, and Kataorc. The story is well wiilten and interesting, not only as shewing the minuteness of detail with which these traditions are handed down by the natives, but also on account of the extraordinary resemblance which it bears to

several of our own legends, such as that of St. George and the Dragon, and numerous others which may he found in many of our ancient ballads and metrical tales. Without further preface I suhjoin the story verbatim, as written down by Marsh, of which the following is a translation as nearly literal as it could be conveniently made. A Legend of the Killing of Taniwiias. This is an account of the brave deeds perfonned by some of the men of olden time, the ancestors of the chiefs of Rotorua. The names of these men were Purahokura, Iterctoi, Rongo Haua, Rongo Hape and Pitaka, and their father's name was Tamaihu Toroa. When they grew up to man's estate they heard accounts of a great number of people having been lost whilst travelling in the neighbourhood of Tauhunui, Tuporo and near the lake Tikitapu. When people went from Rotorua to Taupo or to the mountains to visit their relatives, the people they had left imagined they were detained by their friends ; whereas, in truth, they had been destroyed on the road. Those also who travelled from Taupo by the same road were in like manner destroyed, and their friends supposed they were kept at Rotorua, to account for the delay ; but no, they also lay dead in the same place. About this lime a party started from Rotorua by way of Tarawera and Rotomahana and this was the first party which reached Taupo in safely. Upon their arrival they were cross-questioned by the people there, and they in their turn questioned the others with reference lo the disappearance of those who were missing. The Taupo men asked them by which road those who were lost had travelled, to which the others replied, across the plain of Kaingaroa by way of Tauhunui. Then they all reflected together upon the matter, and they said, " Perhaps they have fallen in with some war party by the way, for there are no inhabitants in that part of the country." So they sent to collect a party to assemble at Taupo to go in search of those who were missing. They slept on the road the first night and the following morning at day lireak crossed the Waikato River, and traversed the plain of Kaingaroa, until they arrived at Kapenga, the place inhabited by the monster Hotupuku, who, the moment he discovered by the scent that men were approaching, rushed out of his cave. The Taniwha and the travelling parly approached without seeing each other, and when the latter at length perceived their enemy, heboid he was close upon them, and they iled from fear of him, for he was so large that he appeared like a mountain approaching them. Then they called out to those in the rear, " Hehind there ! a taniwha, a taniwha !" and the party then dispersed and fled for their lives for the fear of this beast armed with scales and spikes like a monster of the sea, advancing to attack them. He was so close upon them that, li:id it not been for their numbers, all i would have perished ; as it was, several were saved, though many were devoured. So then tliey found out that those who had formerly disappeared on this road had been destroyed by a taniwha. This news was quickly circulated through Rolotua, and of course came to the cars of our heroes, the brave men already mentioned ; whereupon they called upon three hundred and forty men of their tribe to assemble, who arose and travelled to the plain of Kapenga, where they sat down, and having pulled some leaves of the whanake (cabbage-palm), commenced plaiting it into ropes, and in doing so invented four several kinds of sennett, which are called tari, tamaka, whiri-paraharalia and rinorino. When they had finished this job, the chiefs arose and began recounting tales of bravery to animate each other's courage, and directions to their followers as to how they should comport themselves in the approaching struggle. Then one of the chiefs arose and said," Let us go quietly, and not approach too close to the taniwlia. Rather let us be at a distance, and wait until the wind draws towards ourselves, for should it blow from us towards him he will scent us and then we shall be prevented from making our preparations, by his coining upon us before we are ready for him." To this counsel they all agreed, and made arrangements accordingly, as to how they should snare the taniwlia, appointing parties of men to stand at either side of the snare which they had made to hold on by the ends of the ropes. They also appointed others to entice him out of his cave, arranging the men armed with the kaberu, pain, taoroa, patu-paraoa, meremere and other native implements of warfare. Thus they arranged everything in complete readiness for the destruction of the Taniwha. Defore those who were appointed to entice him out of his cave could arrive at their post, he pen-i'ived the sceut of men approaching, and cani!* rushing out. Long before they could see h.m tliey rumbling noise like thunder, i\.us-d by the motion of the monster under ground, i.nd they immediately moved off to a disiancc,iii urder lo give him room to come out, and

' when he saw what a gooil feed was (as he fancied in store for him, he was delighted. He came forward with open month and flaming tongue and gave chase, but his enemies had the start of liini, and as he reached the top of an eminence, they were already at the bottom where the snare was placed, and the men who had been stationed to pull the ropes were concealed in the fern on either side. Tiiey passed through the snare and ascended the hill beyond, still chased by the monster. So soon as his bead and fore legs were within the snare, the lookout on the hill side shouted " There I he is in the trap! Pull!" The men at the ropes obeyed, and the Taniwba was caught by the midst of his body. ' When he found himself snared he struggled and Hung about his tail with great violence, whereupon his assailants rushed upon him and attacked his hinder parts with their weapons, thrusting them into his body. Aml when his head felt the pain of the ropes which bound his belly in the midst, and of the weapons which were thrust into his hind quarters, he Hung it about also with great violence, and those who had been appointed to entice him came down with their weapons "flying like a liberated bird" and attacked his head. He fought so hard that those who held the ropes had to fasten them to slakes driven into the ground, which being done they came and assisted the others, attacking his head (which was the part that, struggled hardest) with their weapons. At length, after a hard struggle, they despatched him. and he stretched himself out like a dying prub and expired, his body being much mutilated by the numerous wounds he had received. On the following morning they proceeied to cut up their enemy, which was lying on the road j it seemed as large as a black whale, and in shape like a tiiiitelc* The head, the legs, the (ail, the scales, the skin and the spikes on his back resembled those of the common lizard, but in size the beast more rcscmbleiLaI whale than anything else. Then they had an opportunity to attentively observe this terrible animal, which had destroyed so many people. Long they examined it with wonder, and the chief then said, " Let ns strin ourselves and cut him up, in order that we may. see the * offspring of Tiki'\ in they cut him up with their titwtruments called mata-wlmiapu (obsidian), mata-tuhua (ditto), mira-tuatini (instrument set with shark's teeth), kuku-moetoka (muscle shell), and ngaeo (ditto). On cutting into his throat there came forth a tremendous gush of wind from the stomach. They cut through immense (lakes of fat into the abdomen, where they found bodies of men, women and children, some whole, others cut asunder in the middle, whilst other were minus their heads, arms or legs which had been lopped off by his immense sharp teeth. Besides these there were weapons, as the mere pounamu (weapon of green talc), kotiate, patu-paraoa (weapon of whale bone), maipi, teuhutewha (wooden insltument with spear point and and head like a tomahawk), pou-whenna, tokotoko (walking stick), and paraoa-roa (long weapon of the jaw-bone of the sperm whale) all collected together " like the whare-huuta ( armoury) of iMitui." Then there were numbers of ornaments, (he heitiki (talc neck ornament), kuru pounamu (straight talc ear ornament), mako (shark's tooth), pekapeka and poria (talc ear ornaments). Also garments of various descriptions, as the kaitaka (bordered mat), kahuwaero (dogskin), pukupuku-patea, pukupuku, kahu-toroa (of albatross skins), puahi, kakakukura (trimmed with red feathers), knhu-kiwi (of kiwi skins), kahu kekeno (of seal skins), maiaorere, kahakaha, koilrangi (shaggy mat of undressed llax dyed black and yellow), tatata, mangacka, tatara (undressed llax or cabbage tree dyed black), pureke (undressed llax uudyed), and many others, too numerous to mention. They (ook out the dead bodies and buried them in the earth, which being done, they cut up the body of the monster in pieces and put his fat in calabashes and patuas, and they cooked and eat their enemy in revenge for his misdeeds. They then returned to Uotorua. (To 1)1- l-o:llinutil )

* It may appear strange to those who art* unacquainted with the natives of this country to hear of apa of Rom.iti Catholic* natives ; but llic maories are not a whit behind their white-skinned or more civiliieil fellow creatures in the virulence of their religious animosities, ami it is very rate to find the adherent* of more than one of the three religious denominations who have established missions in these Islands, inhibiting | the sune settlement. As a general rule each village is wholly devoted to one particular sect, either Anglican, lloman or Wesley an, and the exceptions are only in the cases of very lari!C settlements such as lti.it ol Ohiueinmu, and even then the disciples of (he dtilereut missions are located in entirely distinct portions of the p;t. As an instance of the height to which this antagonist c feeling is in some cases allowed to run, I may mention the following incident which occurred to a gentleman travelling a few years ago in a part of the Islands where the missionaries of two d liferent denominations hippened lo reside within a short distance of each other. A quarrel had taken place in a large pa between the parties adhering to each church which had ended in (he forcible expulsion of the weake from the j village. The traveller arrived at the gales late in the same evening (too late logo anywhere else if admittance 1 had been dented him time) and to his astonishment found them fast closed. The first question he was asked was, "To whut church do yo« oolong?" The traveller seeing at once that his admittance entirely rii'npuriptl upon the answer thai he mi*ht give, after of course satisfied loth p-irtics, and the antes were it. stanily opened and a I'c.ist prep r.d without del iy for himself ami Mlo.vers.

* Tim Tunlctc or Tualnra appears .is fir as I c.in a ,cctt.-i» to be a legendary animal; whether it ever had existence or not. is a )V»'t very dilhcult il not im. possible at pvtsent to determine. Th? natives describe it as toinethiiijr like a liz.ini, hut many times ami the general opinion scimlo he that the"Z'«.ire/« (if such an animal ever existed at all) must have been a specks of crocodile. Many people iuiiginc that this word indicates some fabulous animal, as the Dragon or the English Witcnds, which is not improbable ; but most incline to the belief tli-t some such citaturo must have existed at the time of the first lauding of the Maorics in New Zealand,—but that it has been so long eslitict that its precise appearance is now forgotten, and nothing left but the name and a sort of contused ami v t iy variable tradition regarding its shape. So:r,e such supposition as this is nccrssary to account for ihe extraordinary uncontrollable t-rror which seizes upon a native of whatever age or sex upon beholding a lizard ; I have s en twenty or thirty strong able br.dicd men lly in a stale of the most abject frighl, and even take lo the witcr tor refiuc, when pursued by a child with (he dead body of a common green liz.ird in its hand. f The Cioil, in the Maori Mythology, from whom sprung Ihe human race: